Agamemnon. Robin Hood. Jesus. Muhammad. Many stories are told about individuals with these names. Did any of these individuals actually exist? To answer that question, we must first address some logically prior ones: What does it mean to assert that an individual existed? Are there certain key statements about a person which must be true before we can conclude the claim of existence has been confirmed?

At times, the Catholic Church resembles a hulking, maladroit dinosaur. But give it some credit. It knows when its vital interests are at stake. This explains its determined opposition to same-sex marriage and assisted dying, as well as its notorious obsession with forcing women to bear children. The Church will do all it can to preserve its authority, and in doing so it focuses on the most critical decisions we make during our lives. Control: that’s what the Church wants and needs.

As Derek Araujo stated in his post a few days ago, he is resigning his position at CFI to pursue graduate studies in physics. Let’s see . . . with his existing law degree from Harvard and now an upcoming PhD in physics from Columbia, this means Derek will become Master of the Universe in about four years time. The good news is that it seems he will be a benign Overlord, and will treat us lesser beings kindly.

On the ballot in San Francisco this November will be a proposal to make it a criminal offense to perform a circumcision on a male under the age of 18. Should secular individuals — who obviously have no religious motivation to carry out such a procedure — support the ban? No. The proposed ban is a singularly bad idea.